1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pressure redistribution system, and more specifically to an active intelligent pressure redistribution system for use in connection with a human body, for example.
2. Description of Related Art
Human bodies are constructed to withstand and distribute force, preventing the damage that excessive pressure can cause. However, there is no doubt that excessive pressure with resultant damage does occur, particularly when an individual is unable to move freely, incapable of sensing pressure sufficiently, or just forced to ignore appropriate pain signals. The results can include pressure ulcers in those who are bed-ridden or wheelchair bound, foot ulcers in those with peripheral neuropathy due to chemotherapy or diabetes, and all kinds of foot, leg and back problems in those who wear shoes. For example, forces created by simply standing (static) or walking (kinetic) give rise to large amounts of stress, which can cause tremendous damage, not just to the feet, but also to the ankles, legs, hips and even back.
Whenever skin is sandwiched between a body part and another surface, be it a bed, a chair or a pair of shoes, the resultant forces are translated into multiple points of pressure. These locations and the number of these points of pressure are not static or predictable. Rather, they are governed by multiple factors including environment, genetics, pathologies, age, etc.
In the case of shoes, the fact that no person is completely symmetrical, meaning that one leg is always shorter than the other is a further complicity factor. Moreover, the weight of a person, or the type of shoe being worn will also impact the amount of pressure experienced, at various pressure points. A healthy foot will distribute this differential pressure as evenly as possible, preventing skin breakdown, joint damage, problems with ligaments and tendons, for example, that would normally result from this kind of pressure.
As is apparent from the large numbers of foot surgeries, orthotic devices, and patients visiting podiatric and orthopedic surgeons, this weight distribution may not be the norm. It has been estimated that 25% of the older population experiences foot pain on a daily basis and that 75% of the population will experience debilitating foot problems at least once in their lifetime. On average, a person will take 10,000 steps a day. Those in the military services or in active jobs take many more. All this may lead to increased foot-related problems. To make matters worse, changes in our environment over the last few centuries, requiring walking on hard and unyielding surfaces, wearing of “fashion” shoes, and eating more than is healthy, have placed new demands on the feet.
To address these problems and to help comfort and protect the various parts of the body, various devices such as mattresses, cushions, special chairs, shoes, orthotics, and inserts have been used. Research into better footwear is being actively pursued. Shoes that contain microcontrollers, motors, flow regulators, containment vessels, or a combination of these have been to devised. However, none of these devices gather information to specifically and precisely adjust interconnected vessels to compensate for excess pressures in real time. In fact, many devices are designed with little consideration of biomechanics and, while somewhat functional, are mostly passive. When sensors are used, they can only collect certain types of data that may help to identify a problem. This data is not used to make a dynamic real time change in a structure that will address the problem.
The majority of, if not all, mattresses, cushions, chairs and foot gear today rely on the use of springs, rubber, foam, and polymers to decrease pressure or redistribute areas of high pressure. These materials inevitably eventually deform, losing even their limited efficacy. In the case of shoes, such cushioning locks the foot in certain positions and effectively limits the range of motion. This prevents translating and evenly distributing the forces, in order to relieve points of pressure. This can be seen in new military recruits with boots that immobilize the foot. The extra force being applied from routine military exercises leads to a stress fracture rate of approximately 13-40%.
Over 8% of Americans today struggle with diabetes, and the number is rising. This debilitating disease affects the feet in a number of ways. First, ensuing neuropathy results in patients not having the sensory ability to know when standing in a particular position or walking in a particular way is causing pain, blisters, or other skin breakdown. Whereas a healthy person adjusts their gait to favor the injured part, a diabetic person does not. When injury occurs, the diminished vascularization of the lower limbs and the impaired immune system of a diabetic person results in healing delays, if healing occurs at all. Ulcers form in 15% of diabetics, infection may set in, and in 3-7% of diabetics the end result is amputation. This peripheral neuropathy is also a common side effect of chemotherapy, sometimes even making it difficult for patients to balance and walk.
The industry has developed products designed to address this issue. Nike has a shoe with embedded sensors that collect data when the wearer moves, sending it to an iPhone. This is useful when coordinating movement with a video game, but does not cause the shoe to adjust its shape to assist the wearer.
Puma has shoes with a mobium band that expands the shoe as the foot changes in shape during activity. The Puma shoe does not have sensors and does not adjust in response to the needs of the foot.
Adidas has a shoe with the Boost, that uses thermoplastic polyurethane granules with improved rebound, and MiCoach sensors that measure the speed and distance travelled of a runner. These only provide data.
Dr. Scholl makes custom fit orthotics that are molded to the foot according to data from sensors, but the orthotics are static.
Accustep shoes may contain a pedometer. The manufacturer claims that they give the wearer a massage with every step. This is achieved via beads, not a dynamic system.
Google has devised footwear that communicates via Bluetooth. The purpose is to connect with Google maps on their smartphone, and instruct the wearer where to walk through vibration.
Systems like that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,142 titled Shoe Sole With Adjustable Support Pattern use fluid bladders that are not interconnected and fluid does not flow between bladders. No data is collected and sent to a server, for example.
The present invention has the ability to collect data and self-adjust in a biomechanically informed manner. That makes it invaluable for preventing pressure ulcers in the bed-ridden and wheel chair bound persons, reducing stress fracture rates in the military and athletes, decreasing ulceration, amputation and even mortality in diabetics (a recent study saw a 50% reduction in the need for amputation by changes in footwear alone), cancer survivors, and others with neuropathic changes in their feet. Benefiting the general public who often stand, walk, and run on unnatural surfaces, sometimes in shoes that are more fashionable then sensible. Increasing comfort for all who use beds and chairs, and even providing users and care providers with invaluable data, such as user sleep patterns, the pressure points caused by various devices, gait analysis, and more.
In conclusion, there are pressure redistribution devices that contain a battery, sensors, containment vessels, and even microcontrollers with preset points, but none provide an intelligent dynamic system that is capable of precisely redistributing pressure in real time.